Basket liner



lid

. s 14,1923. UNITED STATES meer Parent cure.

unser r. wann, or rmonr, manna, ns'sreuca 'ro 'run Eueaaron FACTURING CO., OF PLYMOUTH, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OE' INDWE.

BASKET Iam To wil whom z't may concern:

4 Be it known that I ALBERT F. WARD, a citizen of the United tates, and a resident of Plymouth, in the county of Marshall and State of'Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Basket Liners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a liner for baskets or containers and more particularly to a short sleeve-like member of paper or similar flexible material which is adapted to fit snugly within the upper end of the basket.

It is a common practice to pack and ship fruit, vegetables and other articles in baskets of various Sizes, which are usually made of'thin strips of material formed into the required shape and size and held together by bands or hoops which extend around the upper edge of the basket and at other places it required and are fastened in place by staples or rivets. Baskets of this character are usually rather roughly finished and often have sharp edges or perhaps staple ends therein which tend to bruise or injure the contents of the basket.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an inexpensive liner which may be easily applied in the upper end of the basket so as to cover the rough surfaces of the basket structure and protect the articles therein; to provide a liner whic fits into `the upper end of the basket so as to be held in place without requiring fasteners; to provide a liner in a fiat form with the ends arranged to be readily connected together when it is required for use;` to construct the liner With end portiois which interlock to form a liner of the proper size; to construct a the liner in a tapered form so that it fits snugly in the flaring upper end of the basketland to adord an end connection which permits some variation in the taper of the liner so that the latter will adapt itself to I slight irregularities in the form of the basket.

On the drawings: v

Fig. 1 is a perspective 'view of a basket *with my improved tliner mounted therein;

Fig. 2,.a plan view 'of the blank from which the liner is formed; and i i Fig-3, a perspective view of the liner with the ends connected together preparato'ry to mounting in the basket; v

`Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a round stave basket .of the type ci the ordinar bushel basket wh ch is composed of a p urality of thin strps whch are overlap'ped and bent in the required form of the basket, and have their upper ends secured between inner and outer hoops 2 and 3 respectively by means of staples 4 which are usually inserted from the outside and have their inner ends clinched against the inner face of the hoop 2. Handles 5 are also secured to the upper edge of the basket, preferably by havng the ends nserted through the hoops 2 and 3 and turned back against the inner face of the hoop 2 as. indicated at 6. An intermediate hoop 7 encircles the basket between the top and bottom and is secured in place by staples 8 Which are clinched on the inside of the basket in the same manner as the staples 4:.

Wth a basket of this construction the inner hoop 2 afl'ords a shoulder or 'sharp edge around the top of the basket which in the case of fruit and vegetables ma bruise or damage same as they are shifte around in shppin'g or handling, and moreover, the inner ends of the staples are sometimes imperfectly formed and these ends of the staples as well as the inner upturned ends 6 of the handles present rough places which also may injure the contents of the basket. 'To avoid such injury, li have provided a liner preferably in the form of a short tapered sleeve corresponding to the fiaring form of the upper end of the basket which fits snugly therein and covers the inner hoop 2, the staples and the inturned ends of the handles 6, said sleeve or liner being preferably of suliicient length to project below and cover the inner ends of the staples 8.'

Such a liner must be inexpensive and it is desirable that it may be constructed in a fiat form for shippin and handling and adapted to be arrange in the required circular form at the time it is fitted into the basket. To this end the liner is constructed in the form 'of an elongated blank 9 and curved as shown at Fig. 2,'so that when the ends are fitted together the liner will.

v assume a tapered form corresponding to the flaring upper end of the basket, and 'for connecting the ends of the liner l prefer to employ a 'corresponding notch 10 at each end of the liner and midway of the width thereof so as to afiord fiaps 11 at opposite sides of the notches, which, when the liner is bent in circular form and the notches 10 en- Bid gaged with one another, 'overlap the corresponding flap of the other end, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andscrve, when the liner is inserted in the basket, to lock the ends together. The liner is made of suitable length and the notches 10 are of such depth that the liner fits' snugly within the top of the basket when the ends are interlocked, and the arrangement of tle notches 10 midway of the Width of the liner pernits a small amount of angular adjustment ofthe ends to vary the taper of the liner slightly so that it will readily conform to the tapered form of the upper end of the basket.

On account of the simplicity of the end connection of this liner and the ease with which it may be put together, it is unnecessary to furnsh it with the ends connected as the ordinary Workman can assemble and insert the liner in the basket without any loss of time.

While I have shown and 'described my invention in a preferred form, I amaware that changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a basket having a fiaring wall, of a tapered liner sleeve therefor formed of a strip of paperboard and retained in position in the basket by the wedging fit of the sleeve Within the flaring basket wall, the overlapping ends of the strip having interengaging portions at one point permitting a rocking action to vary the taper of the sleeve and adapted to be retained in engagement solely by the Wedging fit of the liner within the basket and serving to limit the extent of overlap of the ends of the strip and retain the same substantially in alignment but permitting expansion of the liner into snug engagement with the basket wall.

2. A liner for a basket or like receptacle having a flaring wall, comprising a fiat` arouate strip of paperboard bendable into a tapered sleeve formation to fit within the edges adapted, when engaged, to retain the 'end portions of the strip substantially in alignment and limit the contraction of its sleeve formation.

3. The combination With a basket having a a flaring upper portion, of a liner therefor comprising a fiat arcuate strip of paperboard bendable to sleeve form and frctionallyfitting Within the fiaring wall of the basket, the end edges of said strip having open notches adapted to be 'retained in engagement solely by the contact of the strip with the basket Wall and serving to hold the end portions of the strip substantially in alignment.

4. In a liner for a basket or like receptacle having a fiaring wall, the conbination of a fiexible elongated fiat strip bent in ClI'- cular form and having open notches in its opposite end edges adapted to be engaged, With the portions of each end above and below its notch overlying and underlying respectivelythe corresponding portions of the other end.

5. The combination With a basket having a flaring wall, of a tapered liner sleeve therefor formed of a curved strip of bendable paper board having notched portions at the opposite ends'and adapted to be held in sleeve form with its ends 'overlapping and said notched portions engaged solely by the frictional fit of the liner within the flaring basket wall, said notched portions being adapted, when held in engagement, to retain the sleeve ends substantially in alignment and limit the extent of overlapping thereof but otherwise permitting the :Free relative movement of the sleeve ends in cir cumferential direction.

` ALBERT F. WARD. 

